Omaha Hi Lo 3,7/5 9918 votes
The DO of Omaha Hi Lo Poker The ‘DO’ of Omaha Hi Lo poker is ‘D’ for Discipline and ‘O’ for Outs. Profitable Omaha Hi Lo poker is a very boring game, as players should only get involved in pots that they have a very strong likelihood of winning.
Omaha Hold'em, 8 or better high-low split was in definite need of shortening, so poker players commonly refer to it as Omaha/8 or Omaha hi/lo. As with any other game of poker, the rules are mostly simple, but mastering the game requires a talented, relentless student. Omaha is also thought to be the game of the future, with its popularity growing very quickly, and already outgrowing many 7 card stud populations. In fact, the most populated omaha 8b games are found online these days. Full Tilt Poker has the best Omaha hi/lo 8b games, with a combination of good player population and lots of big name pros to watch at $1000/$2000 limits and higher. Absolute Poker has fewer players, but their Omaha hi/lo 8b pot limit games are very loose at the lower levels.
Qualifying Low hands
See full list on gamblingsites.org. A high-low split version called 'Omaha Hi-Lo', or sometimes 'Omaha eight-or-better' or 'Omaha/8', is also played. In Europe, 'Omaha' still typically refers to the high version of the game, usually played pot-limit. Pot-limit Omaha is often abbreviated as 'PLO.'
In Omaha hi/lo, the pot can be a split pot if there is a qualifying low hand. To qualify as a low hand, the player must have five unpaired cards that are 8 or lower. An ace counts as the lowest card in a qualifying low hand, and flushes and straights do not effect the low value. The best 'low' hand would be an ace through five straight (A2345). This hand is commonly called the 'Bicycle.' It is entirely possible for a player to have the best low and best high hand. Take for example a player has A2456, all of spades. He has a spade flush as a high and and an Ace through 6 low hand. Players can even use different cards in their hand to make a separate low and high hand. If a player has both the best high and best low hand, he wins the entire pot, also called 'scooping' the pot.
The Blinds and Dealer Button
Omaha is a fixed position game, like Texas Hold'em. Position is determined by who currently is sitting behind the dealer chip or button. The dealer chip moves clockwise around the table after each hand. The dealer has the advantage of acting last on every round except for the first, and wise poker players know the advantage this brings. Also like Texas Hold'em, we use blind bets to get the pot started. The first player to the left of the dealer puts in the small blind, which is usually half of the big blind. The player to the left of the small blind is required to put in the big blind, and this is generally equal to the small bet at the particular limit being played. For example, in a $10/$20 game of Omaha, the small blind would be $5 and the big blind $10.
The initial deal is where we see the major difference between Omaha and Texas Hold'em. In Omaha, each player is dealt four cards face down instead of two. However, only two of these cards are allowed to be used in creating the players hand. This must be kept in mind as the hand progresses! The four down cards is the greatest stimulant for action for the Omaha variation of poker, as it is not hard to find a nice hand when you are dealt 4 cards.
After everyone is dealt 4 cards face down, the player to the left of the big blind must either call the big blind, fold or raise. Each player acts in turn, folding, calling, raising or re-raising. The blinds are considered 'live,' meaning that when the action gets to them in the first round of betting they can also fold, bet or raise.
The Flop
When betting action is completed on the first round, chips are raked into the pot and the dealer places 3 cards face up in the middle of the table. These are community cards, used by all players to create their best hand. Again, do not forget that you must use exactly 2 cards from your hand and three cards from the community board to create your best five card hand! A round of betting begins, starting with the player to the left of the dealer button.
The Turn
After betting action has concluded on the flop, another card is placed face up in the center of the table, called the Turn. This card is also a community card. Bets double on the Turn. In our game of $10/$20, while $10 bets were made before, we now have to be or raise $20 at a time.
The River
Omaha Hi Lo Software
The final community card is placed face up in the center of the table, and the final round of betting takes place. We again use double bets on this round.
Showdown
When all bets are equalized on the River, a showdown occurs and the last player to make a bet or raise must turn over his down cards, revealing his best five card hand. If there was no betting on the final round, the first player still active to the immediate left of the dealer must show his hand. Each player in turn can either turn over his cards to reveal a better (or worse) hand, or muck his cards face down if he is the loser. Each player has to use exactly two of his hole cards and three cards from the community cards on the board. If there is no qualifying low hand, then the player with the highest ranking hand wins. If there is one or more qualifying low hands, then the player with the lowest qualifying low hand and the player with the highest ranking hand split the pot.
Notes and Frequently asked Questions
The best low hand is determined first by looking at the highest qualifying low card in each players qualifying hand. Someone with A2358 would say he had an 'eight low.' His opponent meanwhile has A2357. He has a 'seven low' and wins the low side of the pot, since his seven is lower than the first player's 8. If the players have qualifying low cards of the same rank, we simply move down the chain of cards until one player's card is lower than the other. Example: A2368 beats A2378. Player one would note that he has an eight-six low, while the loser holds an eight-seven. It's not often to have two players who hold identical low hands, but it happens, and this results in a split of the low side of the pot.
Never forget: You form your hand using exactly 2 cards from your hole cards and 3 from the board.
You can use two of your cards to form a high and and two others to form a low hand. Keep all of your options and possible hands in mind!
An interesting event happens every now and then in Omaha hi/lo, and it is called 'getting quartered.' This occurs when two players tie for the high side of the pot and a third player is the only one with a qualifying low hand. The low hand gets half the pot, and the two high hands split the high side, hence they only receive a fourth, or a 'quarter' of the entire pot. The same thing occurs when two players have identical lows, and another player has the high hand. The high hand takes the high half of the pot and the two low hands split the low side of the pot. Getting quartered is almost always a bad thing, as you will tend to put more money into the pot than you will get out of it, unless there were a lot of players in the hand donating towards the pot from the beginning.
Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most popular games currently on offer across the US online poker community for one simple reason: action. Although split pot poker variants may appear somewhat confusing for casual players, the mechanics are actually relatively simple. Moreover, once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll find that it’s a game where bluffing and big pots reign supreme.
Of course, if you’re an amateur with little experience of US online poker in America, then we don’t recommend jumping into a juicy Omaha Hi-Lo cash game. Because the game awards half the pot to the winning high hand and half the pot to the winning low hand, Omaha Hi-Lo takes a lot more concentration than variants such as Texas Hold’em. When you play Texas Hold’em at some of our recommended top USA poker sites, the winning hand at showdown is the highest ranked.
However, Omaha Hi-Lo adds a twist to this format, so our strategy tip is to learn the basics in a high only game first. Become familiar with hand rankings, betting structures and basic strategy by playing Omaha before you jump into the action packed world of Omaha Hi-Lo.
Five Things You Need to Know about Omaha Hi-Lo:
- Omaha Hi-Lo is a split pot game where half the pot goes to the high hand and half to the low hand.
- The high hand scoops the pot if there is no qualifying low hand (a hand where the highest value card is an eight).
- Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most action packed US online poker games.
- Omaha Hi-Lo can be played in a Limit, Pot Limit, No Limit or a Mixed Limit format.
- Always hone your skills in “high only” games before testing yourself at the Omaha Hi-Lo tables.
The Basics of Omaha Hi-Lo Poker
Ok, at this point we’ll assume you haven’t jumped into one of our poker sites, United States dollars in hand and anted-up at an Omaha Hi-Lo table without gaining experience anywhere else. Assuming you’ve taken some time to learn the basics of poker, you should now be ready to run through a few rounds of low stakes Omaha Hi-Lo.
Before the game kicks off, Omaha Hi-Lo’s main structure is similar to other poker variants. Before your four hole cards are dealt, two players will be required to ante-up a small blind and big blind. Following this the button is placed to the right of the small blind and these facets of the game move around the table in a clockwise fashion.
Once everyone has received their hole cards there is four betting rounds (although not all will be completed if a player’s bet isn’t matched): pre-flop, flop (three community cards), the turn (fourth community card) and the river (the final river card). At each stage, an active player is permitted to check, bet, raise or fold depending on the preceding action.
The Rules of Omaha Hi-Lo
Now we know how to bet, let’s go through the basic rules of Omaha Hi-Lo. An Omaha 8-or-better (as the game is also known) low hand must consist of five different cards ranked eight or below. If this is the case then that hand will be eligible to win the low portion of the pot. One point to not when you’re playing USA online poker and Omaha Hi-Lo is that if there is no qualifying low hand, the high hand wins the entire pot.
For determining an Omaha Hi-Lo hand, this game uses the Ace to Five system. Straights and flushes do not count against a hand and Aces are always low (when you’re reading the low hand). Because of this, the best possible hand is: 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Following this logical trend, here’s a list of the top ten Omaha Hi-Lo hands from the tenth weakest to the strongest:
*Note: a low hand is always ranked from its highest card downwards. So for example, hand #10 is known as a five-low because its highest card is a five. A final point to remember, because this game has split pot format, is that straights and flushes do not count against your low hand. So making a qualifying low that is also a straight or a flush is a very powerful hand because it can win both the high and low halves of the pot (a scoop).
In terms of defining a winning high hand, you simply have to look at the standard ranking of poker hands which ranges from a high card and a pair, to a royal flush.
Omaha Hi Lo Hand Rankings
Solid Omaha Hi/Lo US poker players will discover a lot of opportunities to take advantage of, as many online American poker players don’t understand this game.
Types of Omaha Hi-Lo Poker
Omaha Hi-Lo is played under the following betting structures:
How To Play Omaha Hi Lo
- Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – Bets are limited to a certain size every round.
- Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – Bets can be as large as the pot size.
- No Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – A player can bet all of their chips.
- Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo – The game alternates between rounds of Limit and Pot-Limit.
Omaha Hi Lo Rules
Biggest Winners in Omaha Hi-Lo History
Because Omaha Hi-Lo is one of the most popular poker games online in America, there have been a number of big winners in recent years. However, if you want to determine the biggest MTT winners, we need to look at the World Series of Poker:
- Roland de Wolfe – 2009 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $246,616.
- Sammy Farha – 2010 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $488,241
- Viacheslav Zhukov – 2011 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $465,216
- Joe Cassidy – 2012 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $294,777
- Danny Fuhs – 2013 WSOP $5,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $277,519
- Brock Parker – 2014 WSOP $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Champion – $443,407
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